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S|  CONFIDENTIAL! 

Si  fo/?  official  use  only 

Si  DEEP  GALLERY  SHELTERS 


Translated  at  the  Army  War  College 
FROM  A  FRENCH  STUDY 


Lv^ 


JULY,  1917 


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of  California 
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WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 

1917 


r^\d 


War  Department, 

Document  No.  632. 

Office  of  The  Adjutant  General. 


WAR  DEPARTMENT, 

Washington,  July  18,  1917. 
The  following  notes  on  Deep  Gallery  Shelters  are  published 
for  the  information  of  all  concerned. 
[661.1,  A.  G.  O.] 
By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War  : 

TASKER  H.  BLISS, 
Major  General,  Acting  Chief  of  Staff. 
Official  : 

H.  P.  McCain, 

The  Adjutant  General. 


WAR  DEPARTMENT, 
Adjutant  General's  Office, 

Washington,  June  19,  1917. 
To  all  officers  of  the  Army: 

You  are  advised  that  this  and  all  subsequent  documents  of  a 
similar  character,  which  may  be  furnished  to  you  from  this 
office,  are  to  be  regarded  as  strictly  confidential.  They  are  to 
be  kept  at  all  times  in  your  personal  possession,  and  are  not 
to  be  copied,  nor  are  any  parts  of  their  contents  to  be  com- 
municated either  directly  or  indirectly  to  the  press,  nor  to  any 
persons  not  in  the  military  or  naval  service  of  the  United 
States.  In  Europe  these  documents  are  not  to  be  carried  into 
the  front  line  trenches,  nor  farther  to  the  front  than  the  usual 
post  of  the  officers  to  whom  issued. 

Strict  compliance  with  this  injunction  is  enjoined  upon  every 
officer  into  whose  hands  any  of  these  confidential  documents 
may  come. 
By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War: 

H.  P.  McCAIN, 
The  Adjutant  General. 

3536°— 17  3 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 

Object 5 

Description  and  characteristics 5-6 

General  description 6-7 

Interior  arrangement  and  details 7-8 

Principles  to  observe 8 

Depth 8 

Longitudinal  strength  of  galleries 8 

Precautions  concerning  entrances  and  descents 8-9 

Ground  sanitary  measures 9-10 

Defense  of  entrance 10 

Exterior  defense 10 

Blockhouse  traverses 10 

Prepared  traverses 11 

Interior  defense 12 

Protection  against  grenades 12 

Protection  against  gas 12 

Details  of  the  work 12-14-15 

Diagrams 6-7-9-10-11-13-14-15 

4 


DEEP  GALLERY  SHELTERS. 


CONFIDENTIAL— FOR   OFFICIAL  USE  ONLY. 


OBJECT. 


The  question  of  shelters  has  become  a  capital  one  in  preparing 
sectors,  because  of  the  increasing  intensity  of  bombardments. 
As  this  bombardment  is  usually  effected  by  medium  and  large 
caliber  guns,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  shelters  destined  to 
protect  troops  be  impervious  to  systematic  and  regulated  fire 
of  150  c.  m.  and  to  individual  rounds  of  a  210  mortar.  Experi- 
ence has  proved  that  shelters  covered  with  logs  and  earth  were 
unable  to  resist  heavy  shells  with  time  fuses.  Only  shelters 
in  mine  galleries,  called  underground  shelters,  or  deep  dugouts, 
can  provide  sufficient  protection.  Therefore  they  alone  should 
be  used. 

DESCRIPTION  AND  CHARACTERISTICS. 

Shelters  In  mine  galleries  mean  shelters  dug  in  virgin  soil, 
with  roof  and  walls  forming  a  solid  inclosure,  firmly  wedged 
against  the  earth  by  a  strong  frame.  These  frames  are  usually 
made  of  thick  logs,  squared  (0-20  c.  m.  at  least ) .  The  entrances 
are  also  solidly  framed  by  thick  planks. 

CHARACTERISTICS. 

The  means  at  hand  in  the  field  are  sufficient  to  provide  shelter 
rapidly  against  projectiles  of  large  caliber.  They  can  be  easily 
constructed  without  arousing  the  enemy's  suspicions,  if  pains  are 
taken  to  unload  the  earth  sufficiently  far  away.  They  can  be 
oonstructetl  all  alike,  practically,  the  frames  being  of  the  same 
workmanship,  no  matter  how  varying  in  size,  and  put  together 

6 


6 


In  the  same  way.  The  method  of  building  and  the  supervision 
of  the  construction  is  easj'.  Although  they  seem  to  take  long 
to  build,  they  do" not  require  longer  than  the  ordinary  log  shel- 
ters, which  can  only  be  worked  on  by  day.  Furthermore,  as  soon 
as  they  have  reached  a  few  meters  in  depth  they  can  be  used 
under  favorable  conditions. 


frame, 


Plaxtk,  frajne.. 


.01  to  ./ff  cm.  ai  t/ie 
base. 


GENERAL  DESCRIPTION. 


There  are  double  and  single  shelters.  The  single  ones  are 
almost  the  only  ones  usetl,  the  double  ones  being  reserved  for 
extraordinary  cases  far  behind  the  lines. 

Single  shelter. — Formed  by  an  underground  horizontal  gallery 
communicating  with  the  surface  by  means  of  two  inclined  en- 
trances far  enough  apart  to  avoid  both  being  affected  by  the 
same  shell.  In  order  to  diminish  their  length,  the  entrances 
should  be  as  steep  as  possible — 7/10  with  ordinary  frame,  1/1 
with  lined  frame. 

In  order  to  permit  leaving  the  shelter,  even  after  the  trench 
has  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  a  third  opening  should 
be  built  whenever  possible,  coming  out  in  rear  of  the  parapet, 
in  a  shell  hole,  communication  trench,  or  trench  other  than  that 


containing  the  first  two  entrances.  This  last  exit  sliould  be 
carefully  hidden  or  even  filled  with  a  mask  of  sandbags,  which 
can  easily  be  overthrown  from  within.  The  shelters  can  also  be 
connected  with  observation   posts   and   machine-gun  emplace- 


She/ter 


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ments  by  means  of  underground  galleries.  Each  shelter  should 
be  able  to  receive  an  entire  unit — a  half  platoon,  as  a  rule.  If 
they  are  smaller  the  number  accommodated  would  not  be  pro- 
portional to  the  time  and  energy  expended. 


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rif.3. 


INTERIOR  ARRANGEMENT  AND   DETAILS. 

I.  Each  shelter  must  contain  berths  (double  berths)  for  a 
fraction  of  the  unit  occupying  it.  These  berths  are  in  the  gal- 
lery forming  the  main  shelter  or  in  niches  dug  perpendicularly 
into  the  ground.  This  last  method  is  preferable,  as  it  allows 
for  the  construction  of  niches  without  impeding  the  occupation 
of  the  principal  gallery,  In  case  of  need. 


8 

II.  Supply  the  shelters  of  the  niche  with  hand  grenades  (the 
single  ones  should  each  have  the  supply  for  one  man ) ,  infantry 
munitions,  gas  protections,  food,  and  signal  rockets. 

III.  Reserve  a  special  corner  for  the  platoon  or  half-platoon 
leader. 

IV.  Construct  chimneys  for  ventilation  or  to  clear  away  the 
smoke,  with  a  draft  to  be  shut  at  the  bottom. 

V.  Watch  the  approaches  to  the  shelter  by  a  well-placed  look- 
out post  and  a  periscope  position. 

VI.  Prepare  the  defense  of  the  entrances. 

VII.  Protect  the  interior  of  the  shelter  against  grenades. 

VIII.  Protect  the  Interior  of  the  shelter  from  action  of 
asphyxiating  gas. 

PRINCIPLES  TO  OBSERVE. 

DEPTH. 

Above  the  dugout  roof  there  must  be  a  minimum  of  6  meters  of 
virgin  soil.  If  there  are  shell  holes  on  the  surface,  go  down  to 
8  meters.  If  water  level  prevents  reaching  8  meters,  reinforce- 
ments are  placed  on  the  -ground  above  the  shelter  made  by 
(1)  bed  of  logs,  .20  meter  in  diameter,  side  by  side,  separated 
by  earth.  (2)  Cement  blocks.  (3)  Bags  of  cement  placed  In 
water  for  10  minutes  then  placed  side  by  side.  (4)  Bags  oC 
cement  mixed  with  pebbles  and  treated  as  above.  The  best 
reenforcing  is  not  as  good  as  virgin  soil. 

LONGITUDINAL  STRENGTH  OF  GALLERIES. 

The  length  of  the  gallery  should  be  carefully  looked  after. 

(1)  Nail  the  battens  that  join  the  uprights. 

(2)  Place  four  horizontal  props  at  the  joints  of  the  frames  In 
each  interval.  The  props  must  be  strongly  wedged  and  nmst 
prevent  any  play. 

(3)  Make  the  length  of  the  intervals  .6  meter  from  axis  to 
axis  of  the  frame. 

PRECAUTIONS  CONCERNING  ENTRANCES  AND  DESCENTS. 

(1)  The  last  frame  in  the  descent  must  be  strongly  supported 
against  the  woodwork  of  the  shelter. 

(2)  Place  a  number  of  tools  and  sandbags  in  each  shelter,  so 
that  an  entrance  can  be  quickly  cleared  In  case  of  need. 


r 


9 


(3)  Place  a  cord  or  rope  the  length  of  the  descent  to  facilitate 
the  exit  in  case  of  obstruction. 

(4)  Nail  a  shaft  to  one  of  the  supports  or  fix  a  tube  so  that 
food  and  air  may  be  obtained  in  case  the  entrance  is  destroyed. 
There  are  certain  precautions  to  be  talien  when  ordinary  frames 
are  used  iu  descents  to  prevent  the  logs  from  rolling  and  the 
frame  from  overturning.    These  precautions  are  as  follows : 

(1)  Join  the  beams  to  the  uprights  by  two  oblique  battens  In 
each  corner. 


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(2)  Connect  adjoining  beams  by  two  battens. 

(3)  Place  diagonal  braces  in  each  interval  of  props  to  form 
an  irregular  system  of  triangles. 

The  figure  shows  the  plan  of  the  arrangement  of  the  logs  in  an 
oblique  descent  and  the  junction  with  the  gallery.  There  can 
be  no  sliding  or  overturning  of  the  frames  with  triangular  prop- 
ping. There  is  no  harm  in  adding  to  the  dimensions  of  the 
wood  and  strength  of  the  shelter. 

GROUND  SANITARY  MEASURES. 

(1)  Whenever  possible,  drain  off  the  surface  water  by  ditches 
and  well-studied  drainage. 


10 

(2)  Prevent  the  presence  of  dripping  water  by  strong  meas- 
ures (sand  bags,  barriers,  drains,  higli  ground),  etc. 

(3)  There  should   be  a   small   drain   at  the  bottom   of  the 
shelter,  allowing  for  the  working  of  a  small  drain  pump. 


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DEFENSE  OF  ENTRANCE. 


Experience  has  shown  that  the  units  may  be  destroyed  or 
made  prisoners  in  the  dugout  before  they  can  get  out.  The 
defense  of  the  entrance  to  the  shelter  should  be  prepared. 

EXTERIOR  DEFENSE. 

Exterior  defense  can  be  made  by  means  of  traverse  block- 
house. By  the  use  of  simple  traverses,  the  portion  of  the  com- 
municating trench  contained  between  the  two  traverses,  fur- 
nished with  auxiliary  defenses  and  latticework  for  grenades, 
will  keep  the  enemy  out  of  the  communicating  trench. 

Blockhouse  traverses  are  made  of  large  traverses,  invisible 
from  the  front,  and  containing  a  space  allowing  for  fire  and 
bomb  throwing  on  the  dead  angle  not  covered  by  the  rifle.  It  is 
a  species  of  caponier  established  in  the  communicating  trench. 
Blockhouses  are  rarely  used  because  of  the  difficulty  in  their 
construction. 


I 


11 

Prepared  traverses. — These  are  the  simple  traverses  In  which 
a  niche  is  dug  out  for  a  rifleman  (seated  or  standing).  A  plat- 
form for  the  grenadiers  is  constructed  behind  the  traverse.  Two 
prepared  traverses  barricade  or  terminate  the  two  exits  of  the 
shelter.  A  wire  entanglement,  covered  by  several  loopholes  or 
by  the  grenadier  platform  in  the  traverse,  is  placed  along  the 
outside  of  the  communication  trench.  A  lattice  against  gre- 
nades is  placed  above  the  communication  trench. 


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ri^.  7.  BecHon  of  a  f!r^ared  Traverse 


1.  Niche  in  traverse  for  a  rifle  sweeping  tlie  bottom  of  the  boyau  and 
a  rifle  flrlng  1.4  meters  above  the  ground.  2.  Platform  for  grenadiers. 
3.  Niche  with  loophoU-s  enfilading  the  auxiliary  defenses.  4-5u  De- 
scents to  shelter.  6.  Traverse  between  two  descents  to  avoid  the  same 
projectile  striking  both  at  the  same  time.  7.  Wire  entanglements. 
8.  Lattice  against  grenades. 

The  traverse  blockhouses,  with  their  covering  of  rails  or 
cement,  have  the  same  degree  of  solidity  as  the  dugout.  The 
second  arrangement,  formed  as  a  redoubt  around  the  dugout 
entrance,  makes  it  easy  for  the  occupants  to  get  out. 


12 

INTERIOR  DEFENSE. 

This  defense  can  be  assured  by  arrangement  of  obstacles, 
one  behind  the  other,  placed  in  the  descents — themselves  either 
at  an  intermediate  or  at  the  lowest  point.  The  obstacle  is  made 
by  enlarging  the  descent  and  constructing  a  sandbag  barrier  at 
the  desired  position.  As  the  obstacles  interfere  with  the  light, 
care  must  be  taken  in  lighting  the  descent. 

Protection  ayainst  grenades. — Protection  against  grenades 
must  be  added.  The  barrier  of  obstacles,  one  behind  the  other, 
are  not  always  able  to  keep  the  grenades  from  rolling  into  the 
main  part  of  the  dugout.  One  of  the  following  expedients  may 
be  employed: 

(1)  A  stationary  panel  with  strong  metal  latticework  Is 
placed  in  front  of  the  barrier  in  the  descent.  The  panel  is  pulled 
up  to  the  roof  of  the  descent  by  means  of  a  cord  or  wire  when- 
ever desired,  or  lowered  so  as  to  completely  obstruct  the 
descent. 

(2)  Furnish  the  entrance  of  the  obstacle  with  a  heavy  plank 
door.  A  landing  place  can  also  be  built  at  the  bottom  of  the 
descent,  from  which  a  short  ramp  leads  up  to  the  shelter.  The 
grenade  will  then  roll  down  to  the  landing  place,  but  can  not 
get  up  into  the  shelter.  This  arrangement  is  inconvenient,  as 
the  time  and  difficulty  in  constructing  the  dugout  is  considerably 
increased. 

Protection  against  gas. — Place  cloths,  impregnated  with  lin- 
seed oil  or  parafln,  or  simply  soaked  in  neutralizing  solution 
In  the  descent.  The  men's  blankets  are  used  if  cloths  are  lack- 
ing. Each  descent  should  be  furnished  with  two  distinct 
cloths  placed  at  intervals  of  1  meter.  This  permits  the  descent 
to  be  hermetically  closed  to  a  sufficient  degree  and  at  the  same 
time  allows  passage.  This  arrangement  is  placed  near  the  outlet 
to  prevent  the  accumulation  of  gas  in  the  descent. 

DETAILS  OF  THE  WORK. 

Frames. — For  the  descent — lining,  1 J  by  ^  meters ;  ordinary, 
li  by  lA  meters  or  fii  by  ^  meter;  inside  dimensions.  For 
the  body  of  the  shelter,  lA  by  1^  meters;  diameter,  A  meter. 

Roofing  and  lining  planks. — One-twenty-tifth  by  eight-tenths 
by  a  variable  width.  The  thickest  are  for  the  roof.  Larger 
frames  are  used  for  the  commanders'  accommodation,  with  an 
intermediate  prop  between  the  two  uprights. 


18 


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14 

Slope  for  descent. — ^Lined  frame,  1/1;  ordinary  frame,  7/10. 

Working  party  for  preparation  of  timber. — Five  carpenters. 
Two  for  saw,  two  for  rougli  squaring,  and  one  for  malting 
mortices.  Tliis  worlving  party  can  malie  ttiree  frames  an  hour, 
or  even  four  witli  well-trained  men.  This  working  party  also 
cuts  the  lining  planks  and  the  wide  battens.    Tools :  One  large 

Example  ofprotection  a^ainsl ^renojdes. 
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saw,  one  crosscut  saw,  two  axes,  one  adze,  one  carpenter's 
chisel,  one  mallet,  one  meter  rule. 

Transportation  of  material. — Each  worki-ng  party  carries 
enough  supplies  to  complete  their  interval  (timber  casing  and 
lateral  bracing). 

Tools:  Ordinary  pick  and  shovel,  short-handled  pick  and 
shovel.     With  each  working  party :  One  tenon  saw,  one  plumb 


15 

lino,  one  measuring  tape,  one  hammer,  one  aiiprur,  one  mason's 
level. 

Removing  earth :  By  means  of  sand  bags  or  with  small  trucks 
on  wooden  rails,  or  with  cases  sliding  on  the  floor  of  the  descent. 

Progress  of  the  tcork. — Working  party :  The  two  descents  are 
begun  simultaneously.  When  there  are  two  working  parties 
they  form  in  the  middle  of  the  shelter.  With  each  working 
party  there  are  four  men  to  six  meters  in  width,  six  men  to  the 

^ro^e  section  aloa^iie  code  of  the  descent. 


fhetrencheB. 


rif.M 


shelters,  and  eight  men  to  the  main  part  of  the  shelter  when  it  is 
commenced.  A  working  party  works  for  8  hours  and  rests 
during  24.  The  entrance  should  be  made  in  2  days,  and  the 
descent  at  the  rate  of  2  meters  a  day.  The  junction  of  the 
descents  and  the  main  part  of  the  shelter  should  be  made  in  2 
days.  The  shelter  should  be  dug  at  the  rate  of  2  meters  a  day. 
Each  working  party  makes  one  complete  interval,  A  by  A 
meters,  during  its  8  hours,  including  timber  casing.  Fifteen 
days  Is  required  for  12  meters  of  descent  and  15  meters  of 
shelter. 

o 


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"JM  1 7  1993 


^ 


Unive: 
Soi 
Li 


